For all you old marrieds!!

Nothing. it was brilliant.

I'd only change one thing - the bloke I married!

Having said that I will do it fairly differently this time round so that the two aren't compared.

I wouldn't do it here. I would take all the people that I love the most and who are in my life all the time and take them all to Vegas and getting married there. I spent an absolute fortune on a wedding for people I barely know and haven't seen since.

Oh dear.... thought that might be some peoples answers!

Nick J thats a lovely answer!

I would have asked the florist to make sure that she wired the freesias in my husband's button hole so that they didn't wilt and look daft in the photos.

Other than that (!) - not too much.

I'd have done it a year earlier so Dad would have been well. I know he hated being in a wheelchair on the day and, although it was wonderful that he made it (he died just 11 days later) and I'm so pleased he was able to give me away, it wasn't my dad who was there on the day, IYSWIM. My energetic, youthful, fun-filled father had been replaced by a frail old man.

I would make sure that I think throughly about the photos I want. I sat down last night to choose 30 out of 260 for my album and I was missing a photo of me and Mum and a photo of me and my sister (for my parents). We were also missing out on a photo of H and his mum. We get all 260 anyway so I intend to make my own photobook up but they were key photos we missed - be they posed or unposed.

I would also spend more on my honeymoon.

However the actual day itself was BRILLIANT and I wouldn't change it for the world. Even the weather was amazing!

Apart from marry someone different ....

I would spend much less on flowers.

I would get my outfit from a different supplier (the one I used was a bit of a nightmare and my bodice was way, way too large .... a wonderful friend was up half the night the weekend of the wedding trying to resize it for me)

I would use a different, better, nicer photographer.

I would have invited my cousin (we didn't because we didn't have enough room and wanted a balance between his/hers guests - but some of his didn't bother turning up so there would have been plenty of room).

There were some aspects that in hindsight I would change. Looking back, it's clear my dress was ordered in too large a size hence why there were so many fitting issues and why it still wasn't a perfect fit on the day. We'd have had it an hour earlier so the speeches were done before evening guests were arriving (I wasn't aware of this on the day). There might have been some suppliers we would have changed if we'd had the time and energy to do some more research.

However, on the day itself all I remember was walking around with a massive grin on my face. I loved the whole thing, from beginning to end. The weather was gorgeous, everyone we loved was there and I just had so much fun. It was like the bridezilla evaporated when I woke up that morning and I was so chilled out and happy! So maybe changing things wouldn't be a good idea as I don't think I could have been any happier.

I would have had a hair and makeup trial before the day and used a proper beautician rather than H's family member and perhaps I wouldn't have looked so hideous. I would have had a proper photographer too instead of another of H's family who I was assured was a photographer, who as it happened was just a guest with a camera. At least I didn't shell out for a photographer and have to pay for hideous photos?.

Not a whole lot.

I'd have had a dress that I loved, rather than one that I liked but felt pressured to have at it came from my step-sister's shop. I'd have gone slightly easier on the champagne too!

I wouldn't be so nice to MIL and brother in law (BIL had an exam 2 days after our wedding, so decided he wouldn't have the time to come to the ceremony as he would have to study. The ceremony lasted less than 30 minutes. he did however have the time to come to the reception, wedding breakfast and evening party, spending about 11 hours there).

Get a better videographer (got married in Belgium and videographers there were rubbish, if I had to redo it I'd fly somebody in from abroad)

Also, would spend more money on flowers for the tables. I have since seen some spectacular flower arrangements, I just didn't think of it at that time.

The one and only thing I'd change would be my dress. I wish I'd had a big dress not a slinky dress, I just didn't feel bridal enough IYSWIM. I would so love to have had a huge, flouncy, bouncy dress with a cute heart shaped corset bodice on the top. If I were dress shopping now I would know EXACTLY what I'd want not some half baked idea of what I thought I wanted. Ah well.

I'd have drunk more! Water, anyway - I felt quite dehydrated during the photos

Oh, and I'd have reminded H to put the ribbon on the car for the photos

Other than that, absolutely nothing

If you're looking for tips for your wedding by the way, may I suggest that if you have a pay bar you give someone some money to buy your first drink (post meal). I was absolutely gasping before someone offered (the groom had no similar difficulties ?), but once I had a glass in my hand loads of people bought me a drink. Either that have money secreted somewhere, I hadn't really factored that in to the whole wedding scenario.

Oh and decide early on if you're desperate to stick with your groom for the whole day, I wasn't that worried in the evening but if you are it's actually quite hard to find each other as people will want to see one or other of you and take you in different directions. At the end of the evening I hadn't seen him for at least an hour beforehand!

I would have spent more time choosing a photographer rather than going with Elegante and would have had a professional video.

I wouldn't have invited my sister-in-law, but as my brother has now divorced her and re-married, that wouldn't be an issue!

Other than that, the day was perfect. (although like Mel, I would have liked to have got married sooner so that my Dad could have been there)

I was a bridesmaid for a close friend at the weekend and although the wedding was lovely and i had a wonderful time, i know she didn't and i definitely learned some lessons for my own wedding

- she requested reportage style photography but her mum gave the photographer a big list of shots she wanted and he went along with it. Everyone was stood outside, freezing hold, while her mum and MIL choreographed all the shots and the bride didn't have the balls to tell them to stop.

- she got mega stressed out in the morning as she didn't like her hair and ended up washing it and blowing dry herself 30mins before the ceremony. I'd have an eay-to-wear hair do and have plenty of trials!

- i'd spend time with my husband all day and not be dragged off to speak to caterers/photographers etc. I'd delegate firmly to my bestman/bridesmaids and direct everyone to them for any questions.

- i'd invite my friends and only family i cared about. She spent a large portion of the day 'mingling' with cousins and people from her dad's work that she won't see again. what a waste.

If my H were to answer this, he would say he wouldnt drink as much. He was off his face by about 9pm, and i had to practically carry him to bed at about 11pm. He cant remember much off what happened after 9? to be fair, he isnt a big drinker, and he had a bit before the ceremony apparently to calm his nerves.

my answer would be, that i wouldnt worry so much about the table plan, and people having their glasses topped up, and generally, other people. i spent so much time getting everything perfect, to have 3 couples text me on the morning of the wedding, to say they couldnt come. So that was 6 meals paid for, and no guest to eat them. It also messed up my perfect tables?

Thanks for your replies everyone,,,, keep them coming!

Loving all these tips

I loved my wedding but if I were planning it now I'd do everything differently ? I'd have a registry office wedding in London followed by something smart and townish rather than a country church and marquee in the garden.

In terms of small changes, I wish we'd had the speeches before dinner not after and I wish we'd had our list at JL not horrible Heals.

I would not have spent 800 pounds on a dress

I would got a cheaper 2nd hand one and had it fitted.

I would have given a speech but I only really know this with hindsight. My H completely bottled it and really only got up and said "thank you everyone for coming". I would have liked to have said a lot more thank yous, personal ones too, but thought adding a bride's speech would have made the whole thing far too long!

I am in the nothing group from the day perspective, I loved it.

Two things I would have done differently planning wise would have been to get a florist and not had my IL's interferring as much. They caused a major row the night before the wedding that meant my H threatened to cancel the whole wedding ? due to their behaviour. I didn't find out about this until after we were married but you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife tbh!

As much as I hate the term "your day your way" I would say this is one thing to keep in mind.

Also, it goes so flipping fast take 5 mins to breathe and take it all in.

Make sure you talk to everyone you can.

Not much really. I'd like to have had a different best man (MrZ's brother), as MrZ has since fallen out with his brother, and looking back at the pictures is quite hard for him.

Other than that, the day was perfect.

The only thing I wouldn't change is the groom. We planned our wedding in 4 weeks flat and I didn't even get to wear a proper dress, the photos are horrible and the reception was pitiful. However the end result was still the same however much we spent and 13 years later we're still blissfully happy.

I'd have hired a proper photographer rather than get a friend from work do it for me. Other than that the day was just as i'd wanted it.

I'd have had a different photographer - one that did more wow pictures, ours are pretty boring

i'd have spent more time looking for my dress rather than picking the first one that was ok

I would have lost the 2 stone I did before falling pregnant so I looked better in my pics.

Bx

Nothing, it was fab. For absolute perfection, a weekend wedding would of been nice, but for various reasons, that wasn't to be.

Also, it pissed down with rain all day, but no-one can control that.

Hired a different photographer - long story but we don't have any wedding pictures.

Hired a piper that would have turned up.

Spent some proper money on a dress, I felt a bit weird about all the attention and just plumped for the first plain dress I could find at Pronuptia. I could have had something really beautiful, I'm not girly enough I guess.

Explicity said to my (lovely) MIL in the run up that H(2B) and I had only about 2 hours together in the evening and she must let us talk about the wedding, or just be together, not have her call for 1 1/2 hours every single night thinking up new things to be worried about. He and I hardly ever got a chance to discuss stuff as a result and when we did we were a bit crabby as it was in snatched moments.

Choose a different reception venue! - H and I didn't get any food and I therefore got rather tipsy ?